Rey Yhong Yting, a Filipino from Davao, is making rounds on social media because of his soothing voice that sounds exactly like Karen Carpenter.
Many netizens say that Rey has been blessed to sound like the late great singer. The praises started coming after a certain Facebook user named John Aeron Lagura posted a video of him singing the The Carpenter’s hit songs “You” and “Love Me for What I Am”.
His covers of The Carpenter’s hit songs have collectively gained more than 2 million views and 27,000 reactions on Facebook.
He also covered other songs such as “Leader of the Band” by Dan Fogelberg, “I’ve Never Been To Me” by Charlene, and “Insensitive” by Jann Arden.
Because of his voice, he has been featured in several local television shows in the Philippines, such as GMA’s “Unang Hirit” and ABS-CBN’s “TV Patrol”.
However, Rey revealed that he has a rare condition that causes him to develop women’s breasts despite being born male. He also does not have an Adam’s apple and any facial hair, according to ABS-CBN’s report.
“Hermaphroditism… it’s very rare. There are different types, mayroong pseudo hermaphroditism: sa external lang, pero sa loob male talaga siya. Mayroon ding true hermaphroditism na dalawa talaga ang organs niya. So, sa case ni [Rey], hindi pa natin alam,” said Dr. Kathleen Kaye Lucera, a government doctor in Digos City.
It is also possible that Rey may have male hypogonadism which is a condition in which the body doesn’t produce enough testosterone.
According to Mayo Clinic website, a boy with male hypogonadism will experience decreased development of muscle mass, lack of deepening of the voice, impaired growth of body hair, and development of breast tissue during puberty.
Karen Carpenter was the vocalist and drummer of the critically acclaimed musical duo, The Carpenters. She and her brother, Richard Carpenter, were behind the classic hits “Top of the World”, “We’ve Only Just Begun”, and “I Won’t Last a Day Without You”. Many music artists and experts dubbed her as “one of the greatest voices in the world”.
